Clasp device



March 1, 1938. s. TUCHBAND ,1 5

CLASP DEVICE Filed March 3, 1956 INVENTOR. samzleljz cfianaj' I (w ll 0. ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES CLASP DEVICE Samuel Tuchband, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application March 3,

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to 'an improvement in clasps, and has for its principal object the provision of a resiliently held, self-adjusting clasp which may be conveniently latched and unlatched, and under which may be clasped various articles for temporarily holding the same. Such articles may be of varying bulk and flexibility, but due to the structural advantages of'the present clasp, such articles in single pieces, or plural,

are firmly held for instant release.

The present clasp is intended for attachment to ladies handbags and the like, and preferably exteriorly attached or mounted thereto by any suitable means, not shown, but common in the handbag and analogous art.

When mounted upon such handbags the clasp may be used for clasping gloves, handkerchiefs and other articles of personal wear.

The herein clasp is also adaptable to other similar uses wherein articles may be temporarily clasped and held therein for convenience.

The foregoing and other features of advantage and function will be apprehended as the herein description proceeds and it will be obvious that modifications may be made in the structure herein disclosed, without departing from the spirit hereof or the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 shows one form of the clasp device in front elevation, and about life size;

Fig. 2 is a side view, in elevation, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View, taken on line 3-3, Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the 35 arrows;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the clasp member in the act of engaging or disengaging with the clasp lock members;

Fig. 5 is an end view, similar to Fig. 3, of a 40 modified form of clasp end; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side view of the modifled form of Fig. 5..

The present clasp comprises a base member B, preferably elongate, although it may be made shorter than shown, having at, its upper end, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, a pivot pin P, upon which is swingably supported, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, a cylindrical clasp bar 4, upon the opposite end of which is mounted an ornament, such as a ball I, which also serves the purpose of acting as a fulcrum means for manually. manipulating the bar 4 into and out of lock clasping position between the resiliently mounted clasping balls 2 and 3. The lower end of bar 4 may be outwardly turned slightly, as in Fig. 2 so that when normally in clasped position, the bar ball I will be held in about the same plane as balls 2 and 3, Fig. 2.

The clasping balls 2 and 3, are fixedly mounted by suitable affixing means, such as rivets 2' and 1936, Serial No. 66,789

3' to a short spring arm S, said balls being spaced from each other a suitable distance, Fig. 3, so as to normally retain the bar 4 below and between them when the bar is in closed position, but which balls 2 and 3 are sprung apart by the bar when it is acted upon to open or close said bar, as illustrated in Fig. 4, wherein the balls are shown angularly sprung apart, by the entry of the rod 4 between them, the displacement being indicated by the dotted angles 55.

The spring arm S is, in turn, mounted by a spacing rivet A, which joins said arm at its midportion to the base member B, said rivet A spacing the balls 2 and 3 a sufficientdistan'ce away from the base B to permit of the angular displacement of said balls 2 and 3, when in action.-

This spacing or clearance also serves the purpose, in conjunction with goods, such as a pair of gloves, not shown, when caught under the bar 4, of permitting the balls 2 and 3, when moved apart an'gularly, by reason of the clasped goods, to maintain their angular position, so long as the goods or gloves caught thereunder keep the bar 4 displaced and under constant tension.

Owing to varying thickness of goods that may be temporarily caught under bar 4, such as thick or thin gloves and a pair of gloves and a handkerchief, or other combinations of articles, which tend to displace bar 4 away from the base B, the operative position of bar 4 from base B, will vary, from the lower position shown in Fig. 3 to just below the upper position Fig. 4, and thus the lower inside quarters of the balls 2 and 3 which contact with the rod 4, through their common spring arm S, exert a constant downward tension on the bar 4, until the bar reaches beyond the equators of the opposing balls 2 and 3, where it is free of further-tension and may be lifted clear of the balls 2 and 3, as shown dotted in Fig. 2, for the easy introduction of desired articles under bar 4, which may then be returned to its locked position. As thus described the inside halves of the ball which contact with the rod 4 between the position of Fig. 3 and the dotted position of Fig. 2, act as cam faces when the rod is moved into or out of locked position between the balls 2 and 3.

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the rod 4 is shown caught between two cam faced ears E-E, which are integral, angular extensions from one edge of the sheet metal spring arm S. The mounting of the spring arm S to base B by rivet A is identical with the mounting described for Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, and due to the cam-like contours of theinner opposed faces of the edges of said ears E-E, the rod 4is operatively held and released, as described for Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive.

Various means, not shown, but entirely standard and well known in this art may be used to attach the herein clasp in desired operative position upon a handbag or similar article, for the purposes stated.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. In combination, a fiat elongate base member adapted to be secured flat on an outer face. of a part of a hand bag; a clasp bar hingedly" mounted at one end of the outer face of said base member for movement toward and from the other end of the base in a plane substantially perpendicular to the base member; the free end of the bar being provided with a large blunt ornament adjacent to said other end of the base; a spacing member mounted on the said outer face near said other end; a short spring mounted at its mid-part fast on said member spaced, substantially parallel and transverse to said outer face, the ends of the spring extending to near the side edges of the base; and large balls of similar size mounted on the respective ends of the outer face of said spring, the balls forming opposed cam-like portions converging away from the base and disposed near enough together to engage the bar and hold it substantially against the spring.

2. In combination, a fiat elongate base member adapted to be secured fiat on an outer face of a part of a bag; a cylindrical clasp bar hingedly mounted at one end of the outer face of said base member for movement toward and from the other end in a plane perpendicular to the base member at the main axis thereof; the free end portion of the bar being slightly outwardly bent away from the base member and provided with a large ball ornament at the end disposable adjacent to said other end; a spacing rivet mounted on the said outer face near said other end; a short straight fiat spring mounted at its midpoint fast on said rivet spaced, parallel and transverse to said face, the ends of the spring extending about even with the side edges of the base; and large balls about the size of said ornament mounted on the respective ends of the outer face of said spring and being near enough together and large enough, relative to said bar, to engage the bar when the bar is flat against the spring, and to hold the bar when the bar is moved away from the springs a distance of about half the diameter of the balls and over twice the diameter of the bar, thereby to clasp different thicknesses of articles; the hinge, spring, bar and member being far enough apart to hold a pair of gloves therebetween.

3. In combination, a flat elongate base member adapted to be secured flat on an outer face of a part of a hand bag; a clasp bar hingedly mounted at one end of the outer face of said base member for movement toward and from the other end of the base in a plane substantially perpendicular to the base member; the free end of the bar being provided with a large blunt ornament adjacent to said other end of the base; a spacing member mounted on the said outer face near said other end; a short sheet metal spring mounted at its mid-part fast on said member, and spaced substantially parallel and transverse to said outer face, the ends of the spring extending to near the side edge of the base; and cam faced retaining members of similar size provided on the respective end portions of the outer face of said spring, and having opposed cam-like portions converging away from the base and disposed near enough together to engage the bar and hold it substantially against the spring.

4. In combination, a flat elongate base member adapted to be secured flat on an outer face of a part of a hand bag; a clasp bar hingedly mounted at one end of the outer face of said base member for movement toward and from the other end of the base in a plane substantially perpendicular to the base member; the free end of the bar being provided with a blunt ornament adjacent to said other end of the base; a spacing member mounted on the said outer face near said other end; and a short sheet metal spring mounted at its mid-part fast on said member, and spaced substantially parallel and transverse to said outer face, the ends of the spring extending to near the side edge of the base, the end portions of an edge of the spring being upturned and formed into cam-faced retaining members of similar size provided on the respective end portions of the outer face of said spring, and having opposed cam-like portions converging away from the base and disposed near enough together to engage the bar and hold it substantially against the spring.

5. A device for holding gloves, handkerchiefs and the like on hand bags, said device comprising an elongate base member adapted to be secured to the outside of a bag; a clasp bar hingedly mounted near one end of a face of said base member for movement toward and from the other end of said face; a spacing member mounted on said face near said other end; a short straight flat spring mounted at its mid-point fast on said spacing member transverse to said face, the spring being throughout slightly spaced from said face, the ends of the spring extending to near the side edges of the base; and balls mounted on the respective ends of the outer face of said spring, the balls forming opposed cam-like portions converging away from the base and dis-' posed near enough together to engage the bar and hold it substantially against the spring.

6 In combination, an elongate base member; a, clasp bar hingedly mounted near one end of a face of said base member for movement toward and from the other end of said face; a spacing member mounted on said face near said other end; a fiat substantially straight spring mounted at its mid-point faston said spacing member trans-. Verse to said face, the spring being throughout slightly spaced from said face, the ends of the spring extending remote from said spacing member; and cam faced retaining members fast on the respective ends of the outer face of said spring, the members forming opposed cam-like portions converging away from the base and disposed near enough together to engage the bar and hold it substantially adjacent to the spring.

'7. In a combination as in claim 6, said retaining members being substantially unyielding, close enough together to engage with the bar when the bar is against the spring.

8. In a combination as in claim 6 the connection of the retaining member being spaced from the spacing member a distance greater than the diameter of the bar.

' SAMUEL TUCHBAND. 

